Surviving Together
by olivv6
Summary: The four male Robins have been teleported to an off-world location by an unknown power; no food or supplies. Each of their bodies have mysteriously reverted to younger versions on themselves (ages still relative: Dick oldest, Damian youngest.). With Dick as a teenager and Damian as a toddler, the four must survive the weather, nature, and each other... (Rated T for swearing)
1. Chapter 1

His suit loosely hung on his frame, as Dick's body was noticeably smaller. _Younger_. However, despite his newfound youth, Nightwing's mask still stuck to his face. He stepped over another rock with an acrobatic grace.

The tribal village sat in the midst of three monstrous peaks. Dick was unsure if he resided in an alternate dimension or off world civilization, but he knew the locals worshipped this one location in particular. A stone temple hidden half way up the north-most peak not only mystified the tribesmen, but terrified them. The stone temple which he'd woken up in, and which seemed to be the cause of his body's younger age. However, without a biological or reasonable explanation for his current state, Dick saved his judgment until he had a better hold on the situation.

The sun had just reached its highest point in the sky, but the air was still chilled. The cool breeze rushed past the pine-like trees, and Nightwing leaned against a boulder. Behind him, he heard the familiar click of a gun; cocked and pressed against the back of his skull.

"Funny seeing you here, _Dick_."

"It's always a pleasure, Red Hood." Dick calmly turned around to see a male; shorter and skinnier than the one he remembered. His jacket was too long for his arms, and the mask fit loosely on his head, slightly bobbing when he tilted his head.

"Would you mind telling me what the _hell_ is going on?"

"Put that thing away, Jason, before you hurt yourself."

Jason glared behind his mask, but dropped his arm.

"And to answer your question; no. I don't know how I got here, or why we're..." he motioned between each of them. "Like _this_." He then squinted. "I assume you had nothing to do with this?"

"_No_. What, are you surprised? Why would I _possibly_ do this to myself?"

Dick shrugged. "Because you're _you_."

Jason stepped off his rock, turned away, and placed the gun back in his waistband. "I'm glad we had this chat."

"Jason, wait…_Jason_!"

Red Hood turned back and crossed his arms. "Miss me already?"

"We need to figure this out: how we got here, how to _fix_ this. Can't you just put aside the past until we find a solution? You can start making our lives difficult again _after_ we get back."

Jason sighed. His current predicament outweighed his hatred towards the Bats. For now. "Whatever, Dick. Just try to keep the excessive blabbering to a minimum. If that's even possible."

"Good. What do you know so far?"

"That depends, what do _you_ know so far?"

Dick glared. _This is going to take forever. _"I want to get back as much as you, Jason, and that'll only happen if we work together."

Jason leaned against a tree, arms still crossed. "Fine- there I was, minding my own business and chasing down a well-informed member of the drug trade, when all the sudden I found myself in this picture perfect _hell_ of a Himalayan knock-off. Not to mention I've lost about six inches and have the physique of a freaking 15 year old…Oh, and I'm currently buddying up with a close _pal_ of mine; just like to good ol' days." Jason paused for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds like about it."

"Ok, so it looks like we need to go back down to the village- maybe interrogate some of the tribe. I don't recognize any of this geography or culture from Earth, but I suppose we could be in an alternate dimension- possibly even in a different time—"

"Or not," Jason pointed to the sky, where two white orbs emerged from a cloud- one presumably closer to the planet, while the other appeared smaller in size and further away. "Last I checked, Earth only had one moon."

"Alien planet it is then. Regardless, we should still try to get info from the tribe. At the very least they have food and supplies."

"Great. After you, _leader_."

Dick began to walk down the mountain side, leaving the temple behind him. Nearly 50 yards later, the ground started to flatten out. The rocky and frozen ground turned to a softer soil, and they soon came to a half frozen stream.

"Uh, Dickie?"

"What, Jason."

"Does that frozen bundle look familiar to you?"

A young boy, perhaps the age of 10, lay sprawled on the ground; half way in the stream and half in mud. He was wrapped in a black cape, and his face covered by an oversized, black cowl. Dick ran over and pulled the kid onto dry ground. Flipping him on his back, he saw the rest of his red suit and familiar symbol on his chest.

"_Tim_!?" Dick checked his breathing and his pulse- feeling that the boy was alive, but barely. "We need to get him to the village. _Now_." He picked up Tim with his young but strong arms, and began quickly towards the primal civilization.

Jason followed closely, and spoke under his breath. "I _hate_ family reunions."

…

**RED ROBIN-**

I was gliding through the air- tethered to a Middle Eastern skyscraper. The breeze was flowing through my cape and over my mask, and I had caught my perp. Today was perfect- until the breeze turned to water, and the warmth of the desert sun to freezing temperatures.

Now, I was no longer celebrating a victory, but struggling to move from this watery trap. I lost feeling in my fingers and toes; my body began to lock up in the shock of temperature contrast. My suit felt…to large for my body, and my mask hung in front of my face as it was too large for my size. That, and the current of the stream, worked against me. As I brought my upper half onto land, my vision dimmed, and went black. Freezing and defenseless on the bank of this stream, I lost consciousness.

**NIGHTWING-**

The villagers spoke no form of language I understood, but they appeared to be human enough to understand the danger of the cold. At the sight of Tim's freezing and unconscious body, the crowd of natives parted; making way to a small log shelter.

I turned to Jason and he shrugged. "Don't look at me."

Inside the hut were stacks of alien furs and pelts- a small fire burning in a stove oven. I set the boy down on what seemed to be a cot near the flame.

"How long?" A feminine voice spoke up behind me. She was an  
elderly woman; barely four feet in stature. Her hair was a long and shimmering grey, and eyes were a piercing black. The woman's clothing differed from the other natives' animal skins as she wore a plain white cloak. "How long he be gone?"

I snapped out of it and noticed she was talking about Tim. "Uh, I'm not sure- but he's barely alive- suffering severe hypothermia and frost bite…You speak English?"

"I speak what you speak."

_I'll take that as a yes._

She bent over Tim and removed his cowl, followed by the rest of his suit until he was only covered by the yellow animal pelts. His boyish face was a light blue; his lips chapped and small ice crystals formed on his eyelashes.

Jason was sitting on a log by the fire, helmet removed and on his lap. His face was also more boyish- which reminded me of his time as Robin. _Before_ the Joker...

Jason shook his hands through his dark hair and shivered once until he saw me and crossed his arms. He leaned back on the wall and shifted his legs. "What? Is he going to live?"

I sighed. "It's pretty severe- when hypothermia is at its most dangerous stage, unconsciousness can—"

"Actually, I really couldn't care less. Just wake me up when we can move on." Jason shifted again, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. _Great. Thanks for the help_.

While I let the woman treat Tim, I observed the rest of the shelter. From the roof hung candles that added to the light of the fire- casting an orange glow on the assortment of furs. The primitive materials caused the three boys to stand out with their more advanced clothing. Red Robin's suit sat in front of the archaic fireplace to dry, and next to it was…_No_.

"Where did you get this?!" I walked over and held Robin's small red and yellow costume- the "R" gleamed in the light.

The woman looked at me and pointed to the hut's entrance where a small boy, a _toddler_, stood holding three dead squirrel-like creatures and small spear.

"No way…"

Jason stood. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

Damian grinned. "Well, hello- Grayson and… _You_."

**ROBIN-**

I was on patrol with father when teleported to this _Hell_.

These short legs, arms, and miniature frame were far more than an inconvenience. However, it was an inconvenience that I could handle. Not permanently, but at least until I solved this nightmare. Until father came.

The villagers were…less than helpful, but an old woman had offered me shelter and warmth. Shedding my now oversized costume, she had given me more fitting clothes; animal pelts which seemed tailor made for my humiliating size. In exchange, I took it upon myself to find my own food. I was clearly on a foreign planet, but the native animals were no challenge to hunt and kill.

Nearly an hour after my arrival, I was graced with the presence of familiar faces. I could guess that the shivering boy on the cot had been careless enough to lose to the cold. _Fool_. Todd stood in the back of the shelter, and Grayson nursed the patient. While their bodies had also been altered, presumably by the same cause, the difference in their size and mine was now obnoxiously more exaggerated.

"How did you get here, Damian?" Grayson inquired. Perhaps even concerned.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, although I assume neither of us can answer that." The words sounded strange with this higher voice, but I continued. "Nor can we say these physical changes are anywhere near pleasant, so why don't we leave that imbecile," he motioned towards the cot, "to suffer for his own stupidity and investigate for a solution? Until father arrives, that is."

"That 'imbecile' is Tim. And I doubt Batman has any more information about where we are than we do, Damian; he probably won't be 'arriving' anytime soon."

I glared at the cot, and then noticed the Red Robin uniform drying in front of the fireplace next to mine. _Stupid Drake. _

"Exactly, so why don't you just sit down and shut up for once, Hell-spawn?" Jason asked, sat back down on his log, and rested against the wall of the hut. I walked closer to him and he smirked.

"I will _never_ take an order from you, _Traitor_."

**RED HOOD-**

_That little shit._

"Listen, _little bird_, I could lift you up by your tiny skull with a single hand and—"

"_Jason_. Stop." Dick glared at me from Tim's side. I looked back down at the kid and he grinned as if he'd won. It would have been hard to stay so enraged at such a small and seemingly harmless child, except that child was Damian.

The smaller boy sighed. "I guess we can continue this little chat later, then." He walked to the fire place and sat beside it- away from both me and Tim. _One of these days, I swear…_

"Unngh…" A small groan came from the cot as Tim lifted his head. I didn't stand, but watched Dick rush to his side.

"Tim? Hey- you'll be ok. You're here with me and Jason." Damian coughed. "…and Damian."

"I don't…where…_how_…"

"We're on an alien planet, but none of us have any idea of how- or why- we arrived here. There's also been some kind of…biological anomaly. Our bodies seem to have, uh, digressed in age." Dick tugged on his loose fitting suit for emphasis. "But we can figure that out later. Can you move?"

Tim coughed, and slowly lifted his shaking hand. From where I sat it, the shadows from the fire distorted his face. The retired third-_replacement_-Robin rolled onto his side, and looked at me and Dick before assessing his own self. "This is…weird."

"Thanks for that brilliant evaluation, Drake." Damian piped up from the shadows. His high-pitched voice didn't really match his painfully aggravating tone. I chuckled, and watched this disaster unravel.

"Listen, _Damian_, I—oh my god." Tim strained his neck to better see the boy, and grinned wider. "This is too rich."

"-tt- Really? What? That you got hypothermia because you weren't quick enough to find your way out of a forest?" The kid spoke with confidence, but shrunk into the corner.

Tim only smiled bigger. "I can't even find you as obnoxious as you truly are, _Al Ghul_, because of how ridiculously tiny—"

"Both of you, stop." Dick stepped between the two and crossed his arms.

Tim rolled onto his back and laughed. Damian's face turned red and he mumbled curses under his breath.

_This is going to be fun._

…

**Author's Note- I will probably have the next chapter up some time next week, and feel free to leave a review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**RED ROBIN-**

After I awoke from my first deep sleep that followed the shock of the cold, Dick ordered me to continue resting. My body, like my mind, was still in a haze. What Dick had said before turned into a blur of words and nonsense in my mind, but I slowly began to process the information: '_teleported'_, he had said. '_Alien planet,' _and…'_biological anomaly'? What does that…Oh yeah._ I stretched my legs, but they only extended a fraction of what they used to. I was shorter. _Younger_.

And freezing.

He had also informed me of my condition. I mentally tried to recite the symptoms of hypothermia- shivering, drowsiness, confusion, and so forth. _Check, check, and check_.

I stretched my arms and legs in my cocoon of furs once more, and yawned.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty." Jason leaned against the wall beside my bed and smirked.

"Jason. I…Uh, where's Dick?" I could tell my words were slurred, but lacked the coherence to pronunciate.

"Out like a light." He nodded towards the bat sitting by the fireplace; acting as a pillow the youngest sleeping boy. Damian's tiny head rested on Dick's arm, and the eldest's head tilted to the side and snored. I was sure Damian had been fast asleep before Dick even tried to get so close. The scene would almost be heartwarming if it weren't, well, _Damian_.

"We're taking shifts," Jason continued. "Not that I don't _thoroughly_ enjoy watching you sleep." He almost looked demonic with the orange light of the fire casting shadows on his face. It was only now that I noticed the fire was the _only_ light in the shelter. I looked out of the doorway, and saw only darkness.

"How long was I asleep?!" I sounded more like a loud and confused drunk man than legitimately concerned. Or, I guess, a confused drunk ten-year-old would be more accurate.

"Relax- it's only been a couple hours. Days are probably shorter on this planet. Why, do you have somewhere special to be?"

"Right; alien planet. Of course. How silly of me to forget." I retorted. Jason ignored me. "Look, I can take watch for a bit. Get some rest."

"Ha! You can hardly speak, Timmy, no way I'm trusting you with our—my life." _I guess my daze was more noticeable than I thought._ "Besides, Dick swore he'd end me if you weren't in tip-top shape tomorrow. As funny as that'd be to watch, you need your rest so we can get the hell out of here."

I turned to my other side, and lay facing the wall. After wrapping more furs over my frozen self, I was soon enveloped once again by the darkness of unconsciousness.

**NIGHTWING**-

I awoke to the sun's glare in my eyes and a chilled breeze. It was already morning, but- _I couldn't have slept more than a few hours…_

_Oh yeah_. I then remembered our…predicament.

I rubbed my eyes and stretched both arms, causing a miniature Damian to groan in his sleep and curl up closer against my side. Reaching over him, I gently rubbed his shoulder to warm up his small body._ He's going to kill me._

The fire was only alive in some glowing coals, but all other candles had been blown out by the wind. The only warmth came from the rays of sun that breeched the shelter. One of which shot straight into my eyes. I could have moved, but Damian just looked too…peaceful. Maybe even adorable. I decided not to tell him that.

Also sat in a ray of sun was Tim's cot. The orange furs caught the light and seemed to glow. His young hand hung off the edge, but quickly retracted as he rustled in the pelts and repositioned himself.

Left of the bed was Jason. Asleep, he was still standing; leaning back with his arms crossed and head down. _Gee, thanks for keeping a look out. I can _always_ count on you to keep us safe._

The bat family has always been notorious for poor sleeping habits. However, either the calming silence of the tribal village, or the cold had affected them more than I had thought, they all seemed content and buried in deep sleep.

"_Jason_." I whispered across the room, and then louder. "_Jason, wake up_!"

His arms twitched, and more black hair fell over his eyes.

I brought my only non-restricted hand to my mouth; speaking loud enough to pierce his selective hearing, but quiet enough to not wake the youngest-two. "_JAY-BIRD!_"

He jolted awake and nearly fell forward, catching himself on the cot, the other hand on his gun. "DON'T YOU _EVER_ FUCKING CALL ME THAT AGAIN OR I _SWEAR…_Oh_._" He strained his back, blinked, and ran a hand through his hair._ "Jesus_, Dick. _Don't_ call me that."

I grinned.

Tim now sat up, alarmed. "What happened?!"

"Nothing, Tim. Do you feel ok?"

He massaged his temple and winced. "Ok enough." I squinted at him. "I feel _better_. What's the plan?"

"First things first; we need to find food and water. Then we can look for answers."

A weight lifted off my side as Damian lifted his head, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. His eyes quickly widened and he sat straight up; scooting away from me. "_Ugh_-get off me, Grayson!" Damian's face became a deep red, and he straightened his clothes. Jason chuckled.

"Good morning to you too, Damian."

He mumbled an embarrassed string of curse words.

I stood and stretched, feeling the over-sized suit hang off my body. "Forget what I said; first we need some clothes."

**ROBIN**-

This uncivilized dump was freezing. I could hardly feel my extremities, and I had undoubtedly caught a cold. The hut stunk of dead animals, bad breath, and cigarettes. _Oh wait, _I sniffed the air and caught another whiff of the reek. _That's just Jason_.

"Good _lord_, Todd. Your stench is making my eyes water."

"Funny," Drake spoke as he stepped out of his perch. "I get the same reaction when you speak."

"Seriously, Jason, you…are you _smoking_?" Grayson fanned a hand in front of his face, and looked up from his search for clothing.

I turned to the disgrace, and saw as he sucked in a lung full of fumes. He shut his eyes, and slowly blew out a cloud of smoke into the air. I gagged.

He smirked. "What does it _look_ like I'm doing?"

"You _look_ like you're going to get cancer. Our bodies are younger, Jason, you can't do that kind of damage to yourself. Besides, there's a kid in here." Dick motioned in my direction. The three others looked down at me with amusement.

This was sickening.

"I am _NOT_ a—" Words left my mouth sounding squeaky and whiny. I was _not_ whiny. Slowly, I took a breath and calmly spoke. "I am not a child."

Jason exhaled more smoke and laughed. "Whatever, _baby_-bird."

I sprung, teeth clenched, and fists clasped. He stepped backwards in surprise, and I was stopped only by a tugging force on my sides. "_You will regret that, Todd!_" My voice sounded vicious, and I held back a grin.

The hands gripping onto my sides began to pull me up and I…I struggled in the grip. "Put me down, Grayson!"

I could hear Drake say something unintelligent and laugh.

He hoisted me up to his chest, and restrained my arms. "Calm down, Damian."

"I was trained to kill at the age of three, Grayson; I could easily break your hands, regardless my size!"

He didn't respond, but kept me pinned. The hut was silent for nearly a minute, and I ceased my struggling.

"Are you calmed down?"

I nodded once, and he released me onto the floor.

"Just…go wait outside for now, ok?"

Grudgingly heading towards the opening in the side of the shelter, I turned to Todd. He looked down at me and raised his eyebrows. I took another breath and spoke again.

"I was _never_ a child."

I continued towards the exit.

"Damian, wait… Here." Grayson held out a small animal fur blanket. I looked him in the eye, took it, and left.

**RED HOOD**-

"You look like idiots." I laughed, putting my last remaining pack of cigarettes in my pocket.

With still no sign of the old woman, we pillaged the shelter for necessities. Dick had managed to find some sort of white thick cloth pants, along with a few sewn fur-parkas. The pelts seemed to have come from a type of elk, but the hoods and sleeves were brimmed with a grey-tan fluff.

Underneath a pile of junk, I found a single pair of leather boots, but mine where perfectly fine. Oversized, albeit, but fine. And there was _no_ way I'd trade in my leather jacket for a fucking Eskimo costume.

"And_ you_ look like you're going to freeze. At least our clothes fit." Tim retorted, pulled the fury hood over his head, and tightened the leather drawstring.

"Whatever helps you feel better about yourself. At least I don't look like I'm being choked out by a Pomeranian."

Tim shrugged and continued raiding the hut.

"And isn't this against some kind of moral code of yours, Dick? Stealing from the elderly? I mean, I've done worse to survive, but this is big for you."

Dick glared my way. "We need warm clothes, Jason. And I fully intend to return anything that we borrow."

"Are you teenage girls done picking your outfits yet?!" A small but obnoxious voice shouted from outside.

"Just, take this." Dick handed me a red woven scarf. It smelt like animal innards.

I scoffed. "I'll pass."

"Please? So I can at least say I _tried_ to keep you alive?" He pouted.

"_Fine_." I snatched to item and balled it up in my hand. "But I'll only wear it on the brink of hypothermia."

"Good enough for me."

Dick placed their uniforms, along with a couple fur blankets, into a leather drawstring bag and threw it over his shoulder. I grabbed my mask, and secured it under my arm. We left the safety of the shelter, and walked onto the newly snow-covered ground. The cold slapped me in the face. _Fuck._

I rubbed my hands together and pulled them inside the over-sized sleeves of my jacket. _I'll be fine._

I looked to the rest of village. However, where other huts used to be scattered throughout the village, we now stood in a snowy meadow. Where there used to be masses of tribe members, the village was empty. This planet gave me the creeps.

Damian was sitting against the outside of the hut curled in his fur blanket before he saw us and quickly stood. He looked at Tim and Dick and smirked. "You look ridiculous."

"_You_ look like a four year old." Tim brought his hands to his mouth and warmed them. "And you're wearing the same thing, idiot."

"-tt- I make it work."

I stared into the snowy abyss, and noticed Dick doing the same. "I hate to interrupt this precious moment, but does anyone else notice the lack of … _life_?"

The other two turned and looked out into the field of white.

"What is this _witchcraft_?" Damian sounded almost angry as he stepped further onto the snow. "Everything was here moments ago, I swear."

"I don't doubt it, Damian." Dick assured and put his hand in the parka's pouch. "We all saw the same thing."

"Well, unless we all just imagined an entire village, something's messing with us." I stepped past the demon-kid into the field and looked back at the hut. I sighed. "And I _hate_ being messed with."

I pointed towards where the hut, our only shelter, was placed. The other three bats turned and let out groans of both appalment and anger. There was now nothing but the snowy ground. _This has _got_ to be a joke._

"Ok, we need to put this mystery aside until we find some food and a shelter- get out of the cold. There's no point in finding anything out if we end up dead" Dick turned to face the rest of us. "I will_ not _let that happen."

We each nodded. Regardless how loud-mouthed and irritating Dick tended to be, the guy was a natural leader.

"So," I cleared my throat. "Which way, _boss_?"

He turned to the field and then to the mountains. "Pick one."

I began walking onto the white meadow, and the others eventually followed. With each step, the ground seemed to become more expansive and white, until—

CRACK.

_Oh shit._

I felt ice give way beneath me, and fell along with it; caught in a flurry of white.

"_JASON!_"

I could only look up to the light from the fractured iced grow smaller until I saw only darkness, and continued to fall. For minutes, it seemed, the darkness and cold surrounded me before I landed. The ground was not hard, but a soft cushion of snow. A damp, icy chill invaded my jacket and boots.

Dick's words rung in my head. _"I will _not_ let that happen."_

_ I am still alive._

_He won't let this happen. _

_I am still…_

…

**Author's Note- **Thanks for the reviews, and I am so sorry for the end of this chapter. I tried to make the POV changes not as quick and obnoxious, but please review if I should improve something :) I hope this chapter wasn't too horrid, and the third will be out some time next week!


	3. Chapter 3

**NIGHTWING**-

"JASON!" His smaller body fell through, leaving a powdery cloud of snow in his wake. Without warning, the ice broke. I couldn't have even…

_ I need to save him. _

"Get down- spread out your weight!" I ordered and dropped to the ice on my hands and knees. Tim and Damian followed. "Jason?! Can you hear me?"

No response.

_Why didn't he use his grapple hook?_

Shortly, a thud echoed from the opening. _No_.

I shifted forward- hugging the snow and alleviating stress on the ice by distributing my weight to my arms and legs. The snow and ice crunched beneath me, and the winds seemed to pick up. I brought my hands to guard my face as crystals of ice flew into my eyes. I was now close enough to peer into the hole, but there was no sight of the younger Jason.

"_Jason_!" I called again, and my voice echoed around the crevasse. "Are you hurt?!"

Still, no reply.

I heard the ice crunch next to me, and Tim looked into the hole. Keeping his distance from me in order to avoid another collapse.

"Judging by the timing of the impact, he could have hit bottom hard enough to lose consciousness," Tim yelled over the wind, and adjusted his fur hood. "But it didn't sound like he hit solid ice or water. The snowdrift could have…"

Tim coughed.

"I understand. We need to get him out. Now." I reached into the sack containing our suits, and grabbed my grappling hook.

"Don't be _foolish_." Damian spoke up behind me. He knelt in the snow; tiny arms wrapped in his coat. "This ground's far too unstable to even attempt any kind of penetration."

Tim snickered.

Damian glared.

"I know, Damian. It _is_ too unstable." I shifted to my side and faced Tim. "For _my_ weight, anyways."

**RED ROBIN**-

Dick handed me the gun and grinned- almost apologetically.

_Oh, right._

"Fine." I grabbed the utility belt he had fished out, and fastened it around my waist. Dick helped me tighten it around the furs and situate the hook. I tugged on it to confirm its security, and nodded.

"If anything looks or feels unsafe," Dick placed a hand on my shoulder. "Get out quickly. We aren't losing you _and_—"

"I understand." _I will not mess this up._

"This plan is ridiculous." Damian sat, leaning on the pack with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, well, at least I know _you'll_ have my back, ki—"

Dick elbowed my arm and shook his head.

"Right. Well, here goes…"

CRACK.

My eyes widened. And I acted quickly.

Detaching the grapple, I flew into the worsening hole alongside the falling snow and ice. The ground beneath Dick faltered, and he was soon falling with me. I pulled the trigger.

The hook shot out of my hands and into the white glare of snow that I could no longer see. I descended further into the pit until it caught and I hung approximately 15 feet down the ice wall and surrounded by the darkness.

"DICK?!" I called, and a voice replied from beneath me.

"I'm fine, Tim, but Damian…"

I could hear more crunching of ice move above me, and a drift of snow hit my face; catching in my hood and mouth. "Mmmph…Damian? Are you—"

"Yes, _Drake_," I looked up and the snow's glare that had appeared down into the hole revealed a small mass of furs clenching to the rope. "I barely have hold of this damn tether, and I will fall and break your face if you don't stop squirming."

I sighed.

Being pressed against the wall of ice, the cold was beginning to breach my gloves and parka. At the opening of the hole, light illuminated the ice to glow a deep blue. However, beneath me I could only see darkness. Like I had guessed, there was no gleam of water. There was also no visible bottom…

"Jason!" Dick called, and the name echoed off the walls. A minute passed with no response.

"Dick, we have no way of knowing how far he fell, or if he's even—"

"I'm going down there, Tim."

**RED HOOD**-

_I'm not dead. I _know_ what dead feels like. But this_…

_Shit, I can't move._

I wasn't cold, but _burning_. The once skin-tight and terrain-proof suit was now loose enough to allow in the snow and below-freezing temperatures. I knew my body was suffering the consequences. I couldn't see, move, or think. There was a noise above me, but I could only listen. The noise turned to a voice, and then words formed and processed in my mind.

"I found him!…_Jason! _W-wake up!_ Jay_…JAYBIRD." _Dick_.

"Unnngh," I tried to slam my fist into his smug face, but only pain shot through my stationary arm. I was frozen and incased in snow. "F…Fuck you, D-Dick."

I sensed him smiling.

"Dick!" Tim's voice echoed in the dark. "We need to go, the ice—" I heard a crunch and Damian shreeked. Tim's voice was now muffled. "_Hurry_!"

More pain shot through my arm when Dick landed on the snow that was trapping me. "_Jesus_, I mean, don't mind me- I just fell a couple _stories_."

"You'll live." He crouched next to me and felt to ground to find my position, and then spoke under his breath- "_I hope_."

I heard him dig and brush through the snow; teeth chattering and pieces of ice landing on his back. My eyes adjusted to see the miniscule light at the top of the crack as it reflected off of Tim's furs and falling ice-chunks. He and the demon-child held to a gleaming line. _The grapple hook?_

"Why d-did you use the _grapple_?! The ice's t-too unstable, you shouldn't—"

"We just n-need to get you out. Now…_Oh god_…" Dick stopped digging.

"What?"

"Just…b-bare with me."

"What? Dick— _Aargh_!" More pain burst through my right arm. Dick twisted my appendage until my shoulder popped. "-The _hell_?!"

"Your shoulder was dislocated."

"No _shit_, Sherlock!" The rest of my body also felt either dislocated or in shock.

"We have t-to go. Can you move?"

_No_. "I'll m-make it…Where's your rope?"

Dick hoisted me up, but didn't reply.

"Dick, where is your _rope_?"

He slung my relatively good arm around his neck, and stood. I winced. "For the love of god. How did you get down here?"

Dick put an arm around my side, and gripped the wall of ice. "I climbed."

**ROBIN**-

_Stupid ice. _

_Stupid cheap gloves._

_ Stupid _Todd_._

The substandard material which the useless gloves had been forged from began to slip down the rope and ice. In addition, these humiliatingly small hands were equally as useless. I fell further into the crevasse.

"Dick!" Tim shouted to the others in the darkness; oblivious to my decent. "We need to go, the ice—"

My weight fell onto Drake's upper body, and I let out a shriek.

The humiliation of my size hardly compared with the humiliation that accompanied my current situation. Drake was…_holding_ me. My grip on the tether had broken, and I had fallen through the darkness only to be caught by the right arm of this fool.

Like a crazed idiot, he grinned. "You're welcome."

"I'd rather fall to my inevitable _death_ than be handled by your filthy hands, Drake."

"Whatever. Hold still or I _will_ drop you." He looked back down towards Todd and Grayson, and yelled. "_Hurry!_" I shifted in his arms and grabbed the tether, pulling on it as much as these hands would allow and trying to lift myself from his hold. "Damian, _stop_, or we'll both fall…Damia…_Stop!_"

"I can hold my own self up."

"No. You can't." Tim sighed and looked at me. I turned my head, and pulled tighter on the rope. "Just…suck up your pride for once and we might actually make it out of this mess."

I grumbled, and crossed my arms across the rope, until spotting a fur-covered hood rise from the darkness of the pit. "Grayson, thank _god_."

Dick looked up at Drake and I, and smirked. My face grew red. "I didn't mean to interrupt any beautiful bonding moments but…" Over his shoulder, the younger body of Jason is sprawled and unconscious. "…He passed out about half way up. We need to get him out of here fast."

As we made our way up the icy hell-hole, I struggled with my altered anatomy and pace before Dick, regrettably, began to assist me with the same arm that he held Todd. I looked at him to protest, but he only nodded and continued to support my weight while trailing the frozen wall.

When we breached the surface and the crumbling ground that surrounded it, Dick cheered and set Jason and I on the snowy field. Drake sighed, and lay flat against the ground.

Only minutes, perhaps an hour, had passed. It felt like days.

"As much as I just want to sleep," Dick knelt down and lifted Todd into his arms. "We need to find shelter."

I stood, surveyed the terrain, and noticed what had been missing. "Good going, Drake. We lost the supplies."

He scoffed. "What did I even—"

"Tim- don't." Dick spoke in a controlling voice. "Damian, you're right; we lost our supplies. If we have any chance of living, we need to get along, and gather what we need to survive. We can make it out if, and only if, we work together." He looked each of us in the eye, before securing Jason, and standing.

Drake looked at me and a silent, _temporary_, union was formed. We stood, and followed Dick away from the field of white. Together, we departed into the forest.

Together, we would either survive as a team, or suffer as enemies.

...

**Author's Note- **Well, sorry for that long wait. It looks like the next chapter will be up sometime in the next couple weeks. Anyways, feel free to review :) and I'll do my best to try and make my writing less...bad.


	4. Chapter 4

** RED HOOD-**

I 'woke up' somewhere between one freezing patch of trees and another, far more stupidly-cold, patch of trees. However, my mind was in a daze and the world around me was a blur consisting of cold, forest, and the steady hum of Tim and Demon-kid's bickering. My whole body ached like, well, I had been beaten to death by a crowbar. _Funny how things go full-circle like that._

I still burned. Probably a fever. I was covered in sweat and my clothes defrosted and became drenched from the melted snow. With each step Dick took, regardless how acrobatic and graceful, pain shot through my body. Delusional from shock and barely conscious, I may have let out a few impulsive and half hearted slurs…

"_Gahh- fuck! Shit! Christ_—"

"I get it, Jason." Dick looked down at me and glared. I could have sworn he was grinning- pleased by seeing me in agony. Then again, I also lacked any and all coherence. _This fifteen year-old body is far more intolerant to pain than I thought._

For miles, we- _they_ walked. Further into the mountains, the chill combated my fever and the sweat on my skin turned to frost. Without control, I began to shiver.

Dick tightened his hold on me and turned to the other bats. "We can rest here." He ordered, out of breath.

I closed my eyes.

My head pounded like I'd had one, or several, too many. I woke up, with more clarity than before, laying against a large pine. The burning was now a comforting warmth, but my body still ached with every attempted motion. I could only see weak fire before me, until my vision cleared, and the faces of my 'family' became visible through the glare.

"Welcome back_, sleeping beauty_." Tim grinned and shook ice from his parka as he stood beside the tree.

_Funny kid_.

He crossed his arms. "What, no witty and sarcastic response?"

I smirked. "I'll just let you use your imagination. Heck, your hair is enough insult in itself—"

"_Jason_," Dick walked up from behind the other trees; crunching the snow beneath his feet, he set a dry branch into the small campfire flame. "How do you feel?"

The branch caught fire and became engulfed in flame.

"Like shit. How 'bout yourself?"

As he came closer to the pine, he stood next to Tim and crossed his young arms. Arms that were admittedly larger than mine with my current state, but noticeably adolescent. "I'm great, thanks. So you remember what happened back in the ice?"

"I remember enough." As I talked, I tried to sit up straighter on the trunk of the frosty tree, but pain radiated through my body and my voice became a groan. I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I remember."

**NIGHTWING-**

_He looks awful._

_ You promised to keep them out of danger, Dick, and you _broke_ that promise._

My furs had held up in regards to heat retention, bur Jason's suit had let in much more snow and ice than acceptable. _This won't happen again_.

We stood in silence as the snow fell and wind blew past. Tim stood next to me and looked deeper into the forest before shivering and coughing again. He looked at me and I squinted questioningly. The boy shook his head in an attempt to dismiss my worry, and looked away with some kind of confident and false reassurance. Jason adjusted himself against the tree and seemed to only now notice his primitive casts. Around his right and previously dislocated arm, I had wrapped shreds of leather from our coats to act as a sling. His left ankle had twisted and sprained from the fail, and his foot was most likely broken. With my years of first-aid bat training, I fashioned a wrap from the same leathers. Jason tried to lift his leg but winced and relaxed the appendage. He looked up at me, and then Tim.

"So…What now?" Jason's voice was hoarse and slurred. _Hypothermia_.

"Now we need to find shelter. Once we can get out of the weather we can find food and safe drinking water."

Tim nodded.

"Well," Jason fidgeted once again to sit up against the tree. "Unless I missed something, I sure as hell didn't see any cozy cabins on the way over, and a safe house seems to be out of the realm of possibility, so what exactly did you have in mind, Dickie?"

_He's right. We have no way of knowing the landscape of this forest- let alone where a next possible cover could exist_. I sighed. "You're right; our best bet is to make camp here."

Jason chuckled. "Well that sounds great and all, but—"

"Tim and I can gather materials. Just a temporary lean-to shelter will do. Anything that will keep out the wind."

Jason gave up on moving, and slouched down. "Fine by me."

"_You_ can stay here with Damian."

"_Ugh_…" Jason scanned the area around the tree. "Speaking of the parasite, where'd he—"

Branches above Jason ruffled and Damian's small upside down face came in to sight.

"-tt- Oh please!" Damian's small yet hard voice scoffed from the branches of the tree. "Surely Todd can be unsupervised for a brief time before causing _too_ much havoc. I'm perfectly capable of gathering supplies."

"_You little br_—" Jason looked at me and let out a loud breath. "When…How the fuck did he get up there?"

Tim shrugged. "He's just been pouting since I saved his life. It's been a nice break."

"I _don't_ pou… You _didn't_ save my life, Drake!"

"Really? Because, from what I remember, if it weren't for me you would be at bottom of that hole with every bone and organ in your _fragile_ little body crushed."

"I didn't need _you_ to save myself, you dim-witted—"

"_Both_ of you! _Stop!_" My voice was much harsher and louder than I intended and came out sounding like Bruce. _Batman_ Bruce.

Tim and Jason looked at me, wide eyed and silent. Damian sat upright on an adjacent branch with his arms crossed.

I massaged my temples and sighed. "I'm…sorry."

Tim placed a hand on my arm and lost his shocked expression. "No, you're right. The sun will set soon; we need to get going."

I nod and look at Jason. He starts to protest, but stops. Sighing, he nods reluctantly. "Don't stay out too late now, kids."

**ROBIN-**

It's been several minutes since Grayson and Drake had left and Todd had been fooling with twigs in the fire when the imbecile begins to talk.

"I'm not guessing you have any cigarettes up there with you?"

"No. Of course not." I am several branches above him, but could still smell his retched stench. Or perhaps that was just the putrid memory Todd evokes whenever he speaks. "Why? Have you run out of joints to fuel your repulsive addiction?"

"No need to worry yourself, hell-spawn, I have plenty. However, they aren't usually the best when soggy. Thanks for the blatant concern, though."

"-tt- You disgust me."

Todd laughed. "And you're always a fucking _delight_."

I tried to ignore his idiocy, and leaned against the tree- scanning the surrounding forest. The pine I resided in had approximately a ten foot radius from the other trees. The peak of the mountain was to my left, and my altitude allowed me to see the valley we had trekked from.

I cracked my knuckles, and pulled my legs onto the branch and into a crossed position. My currently small frame balanced in the tree with little struggle. In an attempt to prevent a weakened immunity, unlike the others, I pulled the hood over my head and fastened the drawstring. The furs invaded my face, and I sneezed.

The sound that I produced was far more humiliating than any of this childish body's characteristics. The high pitched squeak echoed around the mountainside and through the trees followed by a dead silence. I froze in shock, still perched on my branch.

The silence was pierced by Jason's senseless cackling. "_HA!_ _My god!_ That was so cute it _hurts_!"

My face burned and grew a deeper red. "Shut your mouth before I come down there and detach your jawbone _myself!_"

"I can't even be pissed off about how much of a prick you are." He chuckled again. I grabbed a pinecone-shaped seed from beside me and launched it at the crown of his head. "_Ouch!_ Damnit, kid. You need to learn how to laugh."

"I've had enough of this." Compensating for my short arm-length, I swung through the branches and onto the snow, which measured up to my mid-thighs. opposite the side of the tree where Todd sat.

"Hey, where do you think _you're_ going?"

I began to walk away from the pine and into the denser portion of the forest. "Away. To find supplies. To prove that I am completely capable."

I heard him shift his position, wince, and mumble about pain before shouting. "Stop! Wait, ki— _Damian!_ Look, I'm _sorry_! You can't…"

_I can._

Nearly a dozen feet in, Todd was no longer visible, but I could hear his swears. Marching through the thickening snow, I headed further into the wilderness.

**RED ROBIN-**

The snow crunched beneath the soles of our boots. About a foot of white now covered the ground where the pines didn't first catch the flakes in their branches. The breeze shook the trees and ice fell onto the ground and our heads.

The sun had began to set, and the shadows of the trees stretched across the white ground. The wind picked up, and flakes of snow wisped upwards onto our clothes.

My shivering hadn't stopped since the ice collapsed, and my mind was still clouded in a haze from the hypothermia, but I wouldn't let that stop me. I wouldn't worry Dick. _I won't slow us down._

Separated by a couple pines and saplings, Dick walked several feet away on my left. He reached down to collect another fallen branch to add to the large bundle of sticks in his arms. I spotted a large twig buried in the snow, and knelt down to retrieve it.

As I reached, an itching pain shot through my chest. I coughed. With each gasp for air, my lungs cut short and I began to cough wildly uncontrollably. My arms jolted with each convulsion of breathing, and I dropped my collected supplies.

Dick ran over, and knelt beside me.

_No._ I thought. _I'm fine._

However, I couldn't speak; only grasp at my chest, cough, and shiver.

Dick rubbed my back and sides in an attempt to raise my body temp. "Tim- _shhh_. Just breathe, ok? You'll be ok. _Shhh_…"

Between gasps of air, I managed to speak and begin to stand. "I'm…" _cough_. "Fine. I'm _fine_." As I rose, I noticed that I had no balance, and swayed until being caught by the trunk of a tree.

Dick stood next to me and grabbed my shoulder to steady me. "Tim, you're _not_ fine. We have enough sticks; we're heading back."

I didn't respond, but walked drunkenly beside him as he wrapped his other arm around me and grabbed both of our collected bundles under his arm. With my current age, my head only came to his chest. He took advantage of this and pulled me closer to keep me balanced.

Following our nearly-covered tracks to the base camp, Dick lead us through the forest.

Like the sun had suddenly been intercepted by the horizon, the forest grew dark. The planet's two moons emerged and cast a faint light. "We're almost there," Dick assured, and rubbed the sides of my arms again.

Minutes later, the weak light of the campfire shown through the trees and illuminated Jason's young face.

He looked up at us and inaudibly sighed in relief. "Took you long enough; my feet are almost dry."

Dick sat me against the pine opposite Jason; close to the flame. I warmed my hands.

He leaned the stacks of wood against the tree before standing straight and looking over the area.

"Jason." Dick spoke sternly. He turned and crossed his arms. "Where's _Damian_?"

Jason winced, and retracted his arms from the fire before crossing them against his chest. "Listen, Dick, I _tried_ to stop the kid, but—"

"Where did he _go?_"

"Hell if I know! The little shit just took off behind me… something about proving himself."

Before Dick could talk, a thundering crash echoed from behind Jason. The sound of splintered wood followed, and we each stood still as we listened. Soon, there was only silence.

Dick turned to each me and Jason, before sprinting back into the woods; towards the crash. With only the hope of saving his youngest brother, Dick journeyed further into the dark.

**...**

**Author's Note-** Well, thanks for all the reviews! Sorry for another long wait, but hopefully I'll be able to post the next chapter sooner. Feel free to review on anything I can improve :)


	5. Chapter 5

**NIGHTWING-**

Shaded with the dark hue of dusk, masses of snow and fallen trees only appeared as shadows. The light of the campfire was far behind me, but my trail of juvenile footprints sank far into the deep snow with every leap and sprint. Fuelled by panic and guilt, I tore through the broken logs- searching for any trace of Damian. Any clue that he…

_Survived._

_ He is alive._

The visible surface of the chaos was empty, _but he is still alive._ "Damian!" My voice broke through the muffled silence of snow. "Damian- can you hear me?!" I stopped shoveling debris and listened for his reply. For an obnoxious remark. For _reassurance_. My voice echoed off the mountainside, and the snow continued to fall. "Robin, _respond_!"

Silence.

I moved to another fallen pine and dug through the branches.

The clearing continued to darken, and in each pile of alien timber, toddler-Damian was absent. My eyes were adjusting, but the haze of snow depleted my vision. I stood and ran my hands over my hood. Still panicked, I looked over the disaster. Beyond the trees encircling the wrecked pines, the forest was black. Only the light of the moons shone onto the snow, but on the trunk of a tree to my left, was a gleam of…red. _Blood_. "Damian!" I yelled and frantically searched for a trail; with his younger body, Damian couldn't handle a physical trauma. He can't survive what he usually…

"_Christ_. This is truly pitiable, Grayson."

"_Damian_?!"

"-tt- Of course it's—" His high voice hitched, and he coughed. "Yes, it's me."

"Damian, where are you?" My tone of voice was caught between relief and scolding. I turned to face his voice but stared into the darkness.

"Have you gone _blind_? I'm directly in front of you; approximately…5 meters." Stumbling over 'approximately', his voice was too young to annunciate. I knew his face was red with rage, and I grinned.

"Stop that, Grayson. You look stupid."

I grinned wider. With the moons' rays behind me, I moved forward and treaded lightly. The snow crunched as I walked the distance. I held my arms in front of me, at Damian height, and—

"-tt- _Watch_ yourself!"

My hand rested on the hood of a tiny parka, and I quickly moved to grab him. On my knees, I entrapped Damian in my arms and hugged his small frame. He didn't protest, but stood motionless and shivered. His right arm felt warm and jerked when I grazed over the flesh.

On the hand that had touched the wound was the damp and dark sheen of blood.

I moved back, looked into the barely visible shape of his face, and squinted. "What happened?"

Damian looked down at his injury and clicked his tongue. "I had an encounter with a… merely a falling tree. I will live." His tone then changed, now he mimicked a child in need of acceptance, and pridefully changed the topic, "Now, you'll be glad to see that I—"

"No; what _happened_, Damian? Why did you leave?"

He crossed his arms. "I _left _the helpless-delinquent to gather supplies necessary for our survival."

I shook my head and massaged my eyes. "You can't do that, Damian. What is _necessary_ for survival is that we…_you_ stay safe."

_And I won't rest if any one of you _aren't_._

Damian placed his tiny, clenched fists on his hips. The moons' light made only his silhouette and whites of his big eyes visible. As he tilted his head, he squinted. Most likely a trait he picked up and mastered from Bruce. "You don't need to worry about _my_ safety, Grayson. If you need to be concerned about someone's well being, perhaps you should keep an eye on Todd. However, you'll be glad to see that I have _proven_ my significance."

Almost smiling, Damian turned and motioned towards the area behind him with the uninjured arm. All I could see was black, but soon my eyes detected the source of his pride.

The means of our _survival_.

My grin turned nearly maniacal, and I entrapped Damian in another hug- avoiding his wound. He growled, but accepted the praise.

I rose to my feet, and, with a hand on Damian's shoulder, I trudged into our shelter.

**RED ROBIN**-

Dick came running out of the surrounding woods, and into the illumination of the fire. Crystals of snow and ice covered his face and hood. He was out of breath but grinning. Damian was not with him.

"Tim…" He shivered, and it was clear his breathlessness came from the chill. I noted that I no longer felt chilled, but warm. My hands and feet nearly _burned_ from numbness. He ran over and crouched beside me. "Tim, are you awake?"

I noticed I hadn't said anything, and nodded slightly. My voice wasn't functioning, but Dick nodded back and smiled sadly.

Jason jerked awake from unconsciousness and frost shook off of his front. Seeing Dick, he let out a sigh and stretched. "Need I ask where the devil-spawn is?"

"Damian's…alive. Safe; in a shelter. We need to move you two there ASAP."

"Well, not like a midnight stroll doesn't sound _calming_ as fuck, but…" Jason yawned and lifted his leg dramatically. "I think I'm fine right here. Heck; the view's really grown on m—"

"_No_, Jay. Cut the attitude. We're all living through this, and we're _all_ going to the shelter. _Now_."

Dick slid an arm behind my back, and helped me onto me feet. I shook and widened my stance to be steady. My chest was still tight, but I managed. He slowly let me go and braced for my collapse. I wavered, but remained upright.

Jason dug his unharmed leg into the snow, and inched up the tree until he stood. Dick held out a hand, and Jason loathingly accepted.

With one arm supporting an adolescent Jason and a hand behind my shoulder, Dick led us through the wilderness and down a path only he could discern.

I shuffled through the knee-high snow, and Jason quietly groaned while he dragged his foot.

Dick occasionally let us rest on logs and snow-veiled rocks, but at the same time hurried us across the darkness. He kept talking; telling jokes that Jason complained about and I didn't have the strength to laugh at. Regardless, he continued. He told stories about himself, Bruce, and Alfred 'back in the day'; occasionally laughing but keeping a cheerful -_hopeful_- tone of voice.

After an extended amount of time, or perhaps hours, I staggered automatically. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or shut, but there was still only black surrounding me. Dick's arm was supporting my weight more than before. Jason stopped grunting, or I had selectively tuned out his noises, but I could still hear the collaboration of stomps as we continued through the hardening ice and snow. It felt like we had traveled miles before I once again saw light.

Dick let out a cheer and jostled each of us somewhat awake. "_Hey!_ Jay-bird, Timmy; we're here!"

Nearly 50 yards ahead, an orange glow shown through the pines and snow. Dick's pace hurried, and I sped up to match.

The cave was eroded into a stone cliff on the side on the mountain. Its entrance was a tall and thin crack, caused by ice-wedging erosion.

Dick half bowed and half rested his weight on the rock. He smiled, but his face was weary. Regardless his youth, the light of the fire made the tired contours of his face and the dark spots beneath his eyes vastly more visible. Without acknowledging his obvious condition, Dick began to guide us through the entrance and into safety.

It was a tight squeeze and the rock was freezing. The walls encompassed both sides of my abdomen; snagging against my hood and parka. If it wasn't for the rock surrounding me, I wouldn't be able to stand, but I forced myself through the small space. Dick's hand also rested on my upper-back which offered support both physically and mentally.

The orange light grew brighter, and my eyes adjusted to the image of Damian sitting cross legged on a stone. Even as a toddler, he resembled the deranged assassin child that he was; looking dominant and plotting. In front of him was a fire; complete with a rotisserie containing two cooked, rodent shaped carcasses.

When he saw us, his face became sullen "Drake, Todd." Damian leaned forward and adjusted the flaming logs with a branch. Embers flew up with the smoke, and died on the stone walls; one landed in my face and stung. I flinched. Damian grinned, and then cleared his throat. "I see you're still…_alive_."

**ROBIN ****(Hours earlier)-**

When I had left Todd at the pine, the mountain was still illuminated by the sun. Once I had traveled approximately one mile, the sky had began to darken and his unintelligible slurs were no longer audible.

My size, admittedly, had a negative effect on my ability to collect a large quantity of supplies. Regardless, I put my existence to good use.

With a considerable stack of branches and kindling under my arm, the crystals of ice continued to collect on the ground, and the silence rang in my ears. I walked close to the trees in an attempt to decrease energy wasted while trudging through the snow.

An amount of time later, I had stumbled upon the way of our survival. I stopped by the side of the mountain where a narrow opening had been eroded into the stone. With the remaining light of the sun, I could still see that the crevasse lead way into a cave. I walked in and noted that was nearly the size of one of Father's linen closets; the rocky room was tall enough to accommodate each of our current heights. It would suffice.

Pleased with my findings, I set the bundle of supplies against the entrance and began the hike back towards where the immobile idiot rested. I clenched the furs, pulled my parka tightly around my frame, and retraced my steps.

_Thump._

I froze. The subtle thudding of footsteps were not mine.

_Thump… Thump..._

The creature continued to make sounds behind me several minutes before silence. The faint crunch of its footsteps echoed behind mine, but now they and the quite breathes it took ended abruptly. However, I wasn't foolish enough to believe that it no longer followed me. Sure enough, the rhythm began again.

_…Thump. Thump. Thump…_

I kept my pace steady, and evaluated my surroundings before any sudden actions I might have needed to make. My body was inarguably weaker, but my agility and stealth had not been altered. I only needed to monitor its position and…

_Now._

From behind me, the steps of the beast were loud and quick. The muscles of my legs wound and I sprang into the branches of a pine; grasping onto the branches with one arm, and clinging to the tree with the other. I dragged myself onto the limb, and slowed my breath. With each movement the creature made, my heart raced with a familiar adrenaline. Each time it circled the tree, I sensed it glaring up at my position. _Calculating_.

It stopped beneath me and its eyes met with mine. The beast resembled a hound, larger that Titus, but its size did not intimidate me. I've hunted more unsettling products of nature and science than the alien hound could have ever even feasted upon. I've killed _much_ larger monsters.

The light from the moons gleamed in its eyes, and they shone a dull yellow. Its fur was thick and orange, but the hound's tail was contrastingly thin and waved in an indistinguishable pattern.

Regardless its husky appearance, the creature's neck was thin, and protected only by teeth and claws. I laughed inwardly_; this beast will allow Grayson to respect my true value. This beast will _feed_ us._

_This beast will die._

I pounced as the hound turned, and used the heel of my boot on impact to push him onto his side. Straddling its ribcage, I put one hand under the hound's jaw, and one the opposite side of his skull. With the correct application, only a small amount of force is required to…

_Whoosh_.

On my right arm I felt a sting, and then a sharp burn that radiated from where the tail had grazed me. A juvenile shout of pain escaped my mouth, and I only became more agitated.

Using my unscathed arm and right knee, I got an acceptable hold of the beast's skull. "_DIE_."

I jerked and heard the satisfying crack.

Then it was gone.

Like smoke, the hound vanished beneath me into the cold darkness of the forest. I no longer straddled a dead hound, but sat on the snow with an immobile arm. The beast disappeared.

Or there was never a beast.

_Have I…begun to hallucinate? _My eyes widened, and my thoughts wandered to a terrifying possibility.

_No_, I reassured myself._ I have trained in far worse conditions. I'm perfectly sane._

I sat in the dark, holding my arm and easing myself through the pain. Silently, I came to a concurrence of which I agreed with myself; Grayson will never know of this.

Soon, I stood and faced the direction where I thought correct and continued the hike until a pair of familiar yellow irises gleamed in front of me.

I stepped back and blinked. They were gone.

I heard the howl, and then the rumble. In merely milliseconds, I was concealed within snow and fallen pine. Silence returned.

With an excessive amount of digging, I found the surface of the snow and filled my lungs with the frigid air. By the time I escaped from the mounds of debris, Grayson had arrived; digging and throwing logs. Shouting my name; practically crying. He looked like a complete idiot.

I was glad to see him.

**RED HOOD-**

The team was back together; huddled around a campfire in this deathtrap of a shelter, eating some dead rodents that I'm pretty sure the Satan-child already laced with any and all alien-poisons he could get his grubby little finger on. Just like Thanksgiving.

Dick and the kid fussed over some arm-wound he got from when he had his little temper tantrum. There's no way he got that kind of burning wound from a 'mere tree.' Heck, it looks like he was fucking scathed with acid. Then again, I couldn't physically care any less if I tried.

Tim just sat against a log; gazing into the fire and completely out of it. Occasionally he'd burst into fits of coughing and wheezing, and I honestly felt bad for the kid. Not just for being sick out of his mind, but pretty much his whole life has been one big suck-fest. I _know_ rough, and so does he.

_We've really had the shittiest luck_.

I tore the leg off one of the cooked alien rats. "Hey, kid; look alive." I tossed Tim the meat and it landed in his lap, but he just stared at it blankly before coughing again and knocking it onto the floor. _Oh, no, don't thank me. _

Dick finally gave up speaking with the brat and walked over the cave's entrance. Anyone who hadn't worked with the guy for years wouldn't have noticed the ungraceful sway in his step or the way he practically fell against that wall. Unfortunately, I did.

I turned towards him. "Have you eaten, I don't know, _anything_? When was the last time you slept, Dick?" Christ, I sounded like Alfred.

It took him a second, but he eventually turned and squinted at me. "What? I, uh… I already ate some meat." He crossed his arms and legs, only barely holding his balance. "You're the one who needs to rest up. I'm fine."

"Yeah. Sure. You know who else used that excuse? Mr. Hypothermic space-cadet over here." I motioned towards Tim who was currently shivering and mumbling something about the dark.

Dick ran his hands through his hair like he'd forgotten to coddle his sick little bird enough lately, and began to walk towards him before his foot caught on the ground. He fell to the ground and I could only push myself so that my arm broke his fall. I tried to lift his weight, but…

_Shit, he's out cold. _

Damian stopped his pouting and looked at me like I'd just killed his one and only hope.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me now, kid."

He looked appalled.

"Hell, I'm _kidding_. Any help?"

Damian stepped down from his pedestal and pushed Dick so that he sat with his back to the wall. He checked his pulse, and then his forehead. "He has a fever."

"Well, that's some brilliant work, Boy Wonder. Oh, and he's fucking _unconscious_."

"-tt- Probably because of he was sick of your idiocy."

"You know what? Great. You sure showed me- really ripped me a new one."

He glared. "You're truly insufferable. Perhaps, _Traitor_, if you occasionally silenced your—"

"_Jesus_- can you stop being a prick for _one second_? At least while your adopted brother is blacked the fuck out? Maybe you've noticed that the only chance for our survival is the combined newly-shrunken strength and intuition of three sick bat-kids and a currently crippled_ outlaw_. Could you give it a _fucking rest_?"

I hadn't noticed, but I had at some point grabbed the brat by the furs of his jacket and pulled him inches from my face. If he wasn't scowling so much, I might detect a hint of fear in his face. Or just intimidation. Thanks to his newly baby-fied face, I actually felt guilty. _Crap_.

But then his features returned to that all-too-infamous blank stare, and he started speaking in a relatively low, growly whisper. "Get your hands off me, _Todd_."

I loosened my grip, but we each held our glare.

After tightening Dick's hood closer to his face, Damian went back to sulking on his perch. _Like father like son. _

If I'm telling the truth, this would've been hilarious if it weren't for, you know, our impending doom. But when hasn't that been the case? I laughed. _The family's back together._

Minutes later, maybe hours, and Tim finally passed out completely with his arms over his chest and legs curled in front of the fire. It was still blazing, but the cold bled into the room and diminished the heat's effectiveness. Damian now sat at the opposite side of the cave from Timmy and me, his eyes appeared shut, but for all I know he could've been waiting for the perfect moment to strike and enact his revenge. Nothing new. The demon sat a few feet from Dick, who was still as motionless as rock, but no longer had a fever thanks to the sub-zero temps traveling through the stone.

I tilted my head back onto the cave wall, and crossed my strangely un-muscle-bound arms. I began to shut my eyes until the sliver of an entrance caught my eye. More specifically, two gleaming yellow eyes. _The fuck—?_

Keeping the leg with my gimpy ankle extended, I sat up and knelt on one knee. I grabbed a flaming twig from the fire by its unlit end, and tossed it through the opening. It flew through the air and illuminated the dark outside world. The flame cast shadows along the interior of the cave, and caught the orange fur of several hunched figures, and as I stared out into the cold, several dull yellow eyes stared back. Then they howled.

The family was back together, and, like always, odds are we won't come out of this alive.

...

**Author's Note-**** Well, sorry this took so long... (...And for ending on another cliffhanger.) Long story short, school happened, but I'll try my best to get the next chapter out sometime this next month. Thanks for being great and bearing with me! Also, please review to help me make my writing less trash/ if I can improve on something :)**


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